Wide receiver Justin Scott-Wesley said he plans on dropping approximately eight pounds before the start of the 2013 campaign.

"I just think that will make me feel lighter," said Scott-Wesley, who currently weighs 208 lbs. "It's really just a mental thing, but every pound I lose I feel I get one-half a second faster. You look at the scale and you see 200 instead of 208, it just makes you feel lighter."

Scott-Wesley figures running track for the Bulldogs again will help him get down to 200, the weight he was in high school when he set the state of Georgia record in the 100 meter dash.He's also paying closer attention to what team nutritionists have to say.

"I stay low on the carbs and I try not to eat after 8 p.m.," he said. "I might eat a light snack after 8, but I'm not a heavy eater anymore. I go lighter on the portions. I'm not trying to eat to get full, just enough to satisfy my hunger."

He's also hungry for more playing time next fall.

Scott-Wesley played sparingly this fall, seeing action in eight games where he caught three passes for 68 yards and a touchdown.

Next fall, he hopes to play a much larger role.

"With the guys we have leaving (Marlon Brown and Tavarres King) I hope to come in and compete for a starting position. It's time for me to step up and show what I can do," Scott-Wesley said. "Next year I feel I can be on an even battle-field as much as the other receivers. I just need to sell myself as a guy my teammates can trust and my coaches can trust as well."

Rome ready to take next step

Now that he's gotten his feet wet, tight end Jay Rome plans on taking the next step.

After seeing limited playing time to start the year, Rome became more of an option for quarterback [db]Aaron Murray the second half, catching 11 passes for 152 yards and 2 touchdowns, including one in the SEC Championship against Alabama.

"Right now I think it's just a matter of me fine-tuning my game," Rome said. "I was able to get my feet wet, get some confidence and make some plays. Next year, I'll be looking to do more."

When the season began, it was unclear how much production Georgia would get from a receiving standpoint at tight end after Orson Charles left a year early for the NFL.

Nobody should have been concerned as Rome and junior Arthur Lynch combined for 32 catches, good for 446 yards and four touchdowns.

"Me and Artie really pushed each other," Rome said. "He helped out a little with the little things, but there was a lot of mutual stuff. I think we made each other better and we're looking forward to doing that again next year."

Drew hopes to fill a void

Sophomore Ray Drew says he's just trying to fill a void. Moving forward, he hopes to do even more.

A former five-star competitor, Drew hasn't made quite the splash than many recruitniks may have thought that he would.

Opportunity has been part of the reason why.

Drew was moved to defensive end back in the spring to provide back-up help to what going into the year was a position of experience and depth.

But injuries happen, and after Abry Jones went down against Kentucky with a severe ankle injury, Drew finally started getting his chance, something he hopes to take advantage of, not only in Tuesday's Capital One Bowl but next year when the Bulldogs try to replace three starters from the defensive line.

In other words, the opportunity Drew has longed for is here. The question now, is will he take advantage?

"I knew whenever Abry got hurt. At first I didn't know how serious his injury was, but I knew I would be expected to do more whenever he went down, Georgia Southern, Georgia Tech, I played a little against Alabama, so when I came in I tried to do my best," Drew said before the team left for Orlando. "I had a good game against Georgia Southern, had eight or nine tackles against Georgia Tech. Whenever my time came I tried to step up and fill the void. I didn't want my teammates to feel that I left a burden on them with Abry out, so I tried my best to fill it."

There were some late-season signs that Drew many be ready to become more of a fixture next fall.

Of his 20 tackles, 12 occurred in Georgia's final two regular-season games including a career-best eight against Georgia Tech.

"This has been a productive season for me, the times I've been in, but with Abry graduating, John (Jenkins) headed out, the possibility of Kwame (Geathers) leaving, it's going to leave us somewhat thin," Drew said. "Hopefully, we'll get a really good class with tackles and ends coming in. I'm really looking forward to next year. I 'm looking forward to stepping up and filling that spot."

This and that

Head coach Mark Richt is convinced his team is not dwelling on its loss to Alabama in the SEC Championship game. "They won't forget about it, but life goes on, they've gotten back to work, we know there's been a lot of time between that last game and this one," said Richt after Thursday's two-hour practice in full pads. "We had some great practices on campus, then home for Christmas for a few days, which was great, but now everybody is back. They know we've got a serious bit of business to take care of here. But in between the business time, there's going to be some time for fun too." Offensive guard Chris Burnette agreed. "Today was one of the most crucial practices because we want to stay focused on our business," said Burnette. "We want to enjoy our time after practice at the parks, but we're here to win a football game. It's going to be a tough battle, and we need to make sure we're ready. It was good to have Wednesday's night practice to get everybody back in the right mindset." After practice, the team had the option of attending Universal Studio starting in the afternoon followed by a special opportunity at 10 p.m. titled "Dawgs on Top Night at Universal Studios." On Friday, the team will have another morning workout, and the afternoon entertainment options include visiting SeaWorld and attending the Russell Athletic Bowl pitting Virginia Tech versus Rutgers.